The king of small-talk radio revels in asking Whad’Ya Know?

Who is Michael Feldman?
If that was a question on Feldman’s
Whad’Ya Know? radio program, contestants would win even if they weren’t sure of the
answer.
Feldman would make sure of it.... one reason why he’s become so well-known for his welcoming
persona and droll, dry wit.
Feldman is returning to central Ohio for the third time to do his comedy-news quiz show here
Saturday morning at Otterbein University.

His local guests include Columbus restaurateur Elizabeth Lessner (whose
Columbus Food League owns Northstar Café, Dirty Frank’s Hot Dog Palace, the Jury Room, Surly Girl
Saloon and other popular local eateries), alternative country singer/songwriter Lydia Loveless and
adventurer/animal-lover Coyote Peterson. (creator of
The Reptile Show, Swamp Monsters and
Breaking Trail.)
My Q&A with Feldman ran on the Tuesday Life cover of
The Dispatch, but here’s a few more questions and answers that didn’t make it into
print.

Q You’re famous for laconic monologues. Do they reflect a conscious style
or just your personality?
A I’m not trying to be laconic, I’m actually trying to be funny, energetic and engaging - and
it just comes out like me. It’s just the way I am.
For years, in my household, I thought my name was "enough already." My mother and father
would say that. I was just saying a lot of stuff that didn’t have any sequence to it except to
me.

Q
The Wall Street Journal described you as king of small-talk radio. What are the three most
important factors in your success?
A There’s really nothing to talk about on my show of major importance. (The news) is just the
set up. It’s a people show, about people and things in their lives, not major events or hot
buttons.
I have a lot to be self-deprecating about: Making people comfortable to speak on air;
approaching them with a microphone and not making them feel like it’s a gun. I’m actually good at
that.
I actually listen to people. So whatever you say following that is based on listening...
I think I can bring things out of people. One factor is people think if I can do this, then
anybody can.

Q How do you pick your guests?
A We go through stacks of people and get references from people in town. Our researcher Diana
Cook leaves stacks of newspaper clippings and things off the web on my porch swing. I go through
it. She’s very helpful at lining up people... You don’t want to over-think it. The main thing is to
get to know them and what they do.... I learn cool things about the town.
The people (the audience) who come to the show end up being the show. And t hey never let you
down.

Q How do you describe your brand of humor in the comic asides woven into
your "All the News That Isn’t" reports?
A Basically, it’s innuendo. It comes from my father David Abraham Feldman, a CPA in
Milwaukee but quite a wit. Groucho (Marx) would do asides to the camera and my dad was always doing
that.
Also, I’m embarrassed about talking frankly about relationships or any issue. I’m only
comfortable being oblique.

Q You spent eight years teaching an English class. How did that affect
your style of communication?
A Teaching was the first thing when I had to come out of my shell and learn about other
people. You’ve got to interact to learn about them. So teaching was a good experience, really a
learning experience.
My students still turn up and a lot of them are more successful than me, with high-tech jobs.
Some of my students have flourished and they are now retiring, so that is scary.

Q You’ve been described as a 40-year overnight sensation. Why did it take
so long?
A It’s more like 30 years, and certainly not a sensation. And not overnight. So I think
that’s entirely wrong.
I’m in radio, so not getting fired was key. Commercial radio guys who come on my show are
always fired every other year or the format of their station changes. Prior to this show, I had
radio jobs, but the longest one was 18 months. If you can fly beneath the radar and stay an
indefinite number of years, that’s the secret of my success.

Q At 65, are you thinking about retirement?
A I have no retirement skills so I’m reluctant to do it. I don’t play golf or bowl or play
cribbage. Pinochle was my dad’s game. I can’t travel with my wife because we can’t agree on turn
right or turn left. And that gets magnified in foreign countries where we don’t know the language.
It’s easier to keep working than retire.
I’m still enjoying the show as much as I ever did. This is year 29. Age is just a number.
Unfortunately, it’s an increasingly bad number.

Q What other shows do you view as competition?
A
American Idol. The Real Housewives of... wherever. They haven’t done Milwaukee yet but I
think they should.
Art Linkletter probably had the best idea (and show): "Kids say the darndest things." Groucho
Marx’s show was good. Your topic really is the audience.

IF YOU GO
Otterbein University’s hosting of Feldman’s live broadcast is sold out Saturday
morning in Cowan Hall.
WCBE radio (90.5 FM) will air
Whad’Ya Know?, live from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.